Intro:
Here you will read and learn things that you need to know in order to understand the Odyssey. You will be learning about:
- Epics and Values (878-879)
- The War-Story Background: Violence and Brutality (879-880)
- Odysseus: A Hero in Trouble (880-881)
- The Wooden-Horse Trick (881)
- The Ancient World and Ours (881)
- A Search for Their Places in Life (881-882)
- Relationships with the Gods (882)
- Who Was Homer? (882-883)
- How Were the Epics Told? (883)
- A Live Performance (884)
Epics and Values | The War Story Background: Violence and Brutality |
An epic is a long poem that is brought from ancient oral tradition, and talks about the stories of heroism or legendary figures. In Greek culture, they used Homer's epics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey to teach the Greek virtues. Of course, every time we think of the word epic, we think of the Iliad or the Odyssey. However, in order to understand his epics we have to go back to his two main ones. In the Illiad, Homer explains why the war happens, while the Odyssey is the epic for Odysseus' journey back home. The Odyssey has inspired many Western films, for example, The Lion King, Forrest Gump, The Wizard of Oz, etc. Odysseus: A Hero In Trouble | The background for the Odyssey was Homer's epic the Iliad, which takes place in the tenth and last year of the Trojan War. The reason why the Greeks started war with Troy was because Menelaus, the king of Sparta, wife Helen ran off with Paris, who was a young prince Troy. A thousand ships ventured off and sailed across the Aegean Sea and surrounded the walled city of Troy. Eventually, the Greeks were successful in the battle against Troy, they burned the city down and killed the citizens living there. Those who survived were kept as slaves. During this war, Achilles, one of the greatest Greek warrior, died young in the field. We also learn about Odysseus, the main character of Homer's epic the Odyssey. The Wooden-Horse Trick |
Homer described the heroes as an aristocrat. They were described as being in between of ordinary human beings because they felt pain and death, but also as Gods. Odysseus is someone who has to work very hard to get what he wants, like the rest of us. In the Odyssey, Odysseus was described as a hero was good in battle, but his war-record had no meaning. Not even to the monsters or people in the epic. Odysseus an his wife Penelope, who was very faithful to him, had a son named Telemachus. This was before the great war, and when Telemachus was only a toddler, Odysseus was called up front to fight the battle. However, he refused to because he will be battling for an unfaithful woman. When Agamemnon and Menelaus came looking for him, Odysseus dress as an old man and started plowing his crops. The men knew it was him, so they threw his son in front of the plow and immediately Odysseus stopped and went with them. A Search for their Places in LifeOdysseus and his family are looking for the appropriate relationships with themselves and the people around them. They want to be in peace with themselves in life, which sets the theme in Homer's the Odyssey. Instead of starting at Odysseus' journey home, we are introduced to his son, Telemachus, who is now 20 years old. Telemachus is threatened by a group of mean, powerful men who are pressuring his mother to marry one of them. Telemachus is still very young and needs his father to be there with him in order to make things right at home. While all of this is happening, Odysseus is stuck on an island, figuring out a way to go back home. He has a midlife crisis throughout this, he wants to find inner peace with himself in order to balance out his life. Homer lets us know that we all are looking for our real identities. | The Wooden-Horse Trick was important in the Odyssey. It was this trick that led the fall of Troy. It was ten years that the Greeks have been fighting with the Trojans, but they have been fighting outside the walls of the city. It was Odysseus who had the idea of building the horse. The idea was that they will make it look like they have given up. All the Greek soldiers climbed inside the horse, and was brought to the doors of Troy. Once the horse was brought in and looked like the coast was clear, all the soldiers got out and murdered everyone, and burned the place down. The Ancient World and OursThe society in which Odysseus lives in, is very familiar with violence. That can be supported with the fact that Odysseus and his men act like pirates on the ship. In Odysseus' society, they are more ancient, while as in the "palaces" the Greeks destroyed were mainly made of mud and stone. However, his society and the Athenian culture, have a little bit in common, but we will soon find out that the Athenian culture has something to do with Odysseus' journey. Who Was Homer? |
Relationships with the GodsIn Homer's the Odyssey, there are many myths and religion that are being told. Myths are stories that mainly use supernatural beings and things that can not be easily described in real life. For Homer, he believes the gods control everything. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, helps Odysseus a lot throughout his journey, and they are connected because Odysseus is known for having mental abilities. There is one god Odysseus has trouble with, and that god is Poseiden, who is the god of the sea. Basically, Poseiden is Odysseus' dark side. Odysseus can equally be as violent and cruel as Poseiden is. A Live PerformanceIn a live performances, you will see people who got ready just for the story telling, the smell of oils, the sound of the meat being cooked, people chattering, and feel the warmth of the fire torches around you. The word around town says that the blind minstrel would come by and continue telling the story of Odysseus and the battle of Troy. The audience won't always hear the word Greek, however they would be referred to as Achaeans or Argives. Achaeans also include the people of Ithaca, but Argives are the people who went to go fight at Troy. | Believe it or not, no one really knew who Homer was. Many Greeks believed he was a blind minstrel who came from the island Chios. Some people thought Homer did not exist. However, many people do not believe that even someone named Shakespeare existed. The both of them were "too good to be true." Later on, Homer would be considered a rhapsode. A rhapsodes, or "singers of tales." Since there was no television, or movies in Homer's times, it was the minstrels who would travel around and sing the events that would be occurring. How Were the Epics Told?It is still known that oral epics are still being told in Eastern Europe. Many scholars believed that Homer's epics were originally told orally by people who did not know how to read or write. The stories were pretty straight forward, but most of it was improvised. Since the story tellers needed a way of remembering the stories, they had methods to let them remember what happens throughout the story. In Homer's epics, there was a form of comparison which we now call today Homeric or heroic similes. What that is, is basically heroic things being described as simple everyday things. These epics would not be told in one day since they are very long. The singer would try to explain in much detail as he could. Homer wants his story told and we are now part of his audience. |